Refrigerator car



July 12, 1949. J. F. MULL.

REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed Feb. 18, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

ell/145$ 1 M044,

BYVIF/A.

Ar'roelvsv.

'Kf' which is adapted to contain ice and preferably made of Patented July 12, 1949 STATES PATENT oF-mcs r arzsa sf.

E I R TOR can g mes F. Mull, Losungneg Calif, Application February 18, Serial No, 9' ,230=

8 Claims. (Cl; 621-157)- My invention relates to refrigerator cars, and ithas for a purpose the provision of refrigerator carwhich utilizes the traveling movement of-the car to produce convectioncirculation of air currentstherein to obtain a relatively uniform and desiredlow temperature substantially throughout the lading compartment of the car.

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide a refrigerator car in which the low temperature therein is obtained by the employment of only a minimum quantity of ice that can be readily introducedinto the car without moving or otherwise disturbing the lading.

A further purpose of my invention is the provision of arefrigerator car which eliminates end and. bottom ice :bumpers, and provides a top bunker in which the ice is contained as the re.- frigerant, and being above the lading affords more space for the lading, thus greatly increasingtheload carrying capacity of the car.

I will describe only one form of refrigerator car embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view showing in longitudinal sectionone form of refrigerator car embodying my invention. Fig. 2is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 2--2 oiFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the car in end elevation.

Having specific reference to the drawings, my Ly invention in its present embodiment comprises a car body B including abottom wall It, end walls [5 side walls l6, and a top wall or root l1, all

cooperating to form a lading compartment C.

Preferably the walls of the body are made double provide a space therebetween in which is contrained a suitable insulation material l8.

Suitably secured to the under side of the roof llandextending centrally and longitudinally of the car body is a bunker, designated generally at blocks I9, although it is to be understood that any other suitable refrigerantmay be used. The bunker is substantially coextensive in length with a roof,

metal with a bottom wall 2'0, and side walls 2|. Rising -from the bottom "Wall20 are spacing members for the ice blocks l9,

and these members may be in the form of flanges formed integral with the bottom. In the present thence; i "provide a central spacing member 22a,

a-nd two side members, thelatter being. spaced from the walls 2h best shown Fig. 3, all spacing members are substantially coextensive in length with the bunker, or they atleast extend to hatches 23 formed in the roof I]; controlled by doors 24 hinged asv at-25t and adliustable by. supporting brackets 26. so that they. may be opened varying distances. i

As best shown. in Figs 3-; the side walls,2 l; of. the bunker K are formed; at, intervals along their length with louvers 25L; eachlouverbeing made by cutting and interstrikinglthe metahto provide an opening 28-. and an inwardly extendingbaffle plate 2 9i As'also shown inllig. 3; each wall2;l isprov-ided with twosetsof louvers, with the louver of one set extending; in the opposite direction; to those of the other set: for a. purpose to be; described hereinafter;

The ends -oi the-bunkerK terminate in vertical walls 311; each provided: with. an opening 3| spannedbya screenfluto prevent dust from entering the opening; Secured to and extending downwardlyifroml each; wall: 30, is an inclined chute 33; theloweredgaof which abutsan inverted substantiallyjvj-shaped rib134; Adjacent this rib the chute 33 is provided with an opening 361 the'purposeof whichds to allow air. topass from the endrofe the bunker. outwardly through theopening 3|;

For the purpose of draining the waterfrom the ice :blocksin the bunker and to. ,a pointexteriorly of-the car body, the bottom-wall 210 of the bunker at its end portions isinclined downwardly to form gutters 31x whichlead sto drain-pipes 38. These pipeslmay. be. disposed .within the lading compartment C "or. theyv may extend downwardly through the end-walls [511m ordertto discharge; he wat to a point below the car body,

In practice, when the doors Mare open blocks of ice maybe introduced into one or both. ends of the bunker -K through one. or both of the hatches 23, the chutes .33 providing inclined planes down which the ice: blocks may be slidinto the bunker. Thespacing of;'the,flanges, 22a and22 is'such that: two channels are formed longitudinally in the bunker andeaohchannel is of such width asto. accommodate aseries of ice blocks l9. The .flanges 22a serve .to; ,maintainthe ice blocks of one series spaced from'those of ltheother series, while theflanges 2Zxnotonlycoactwith the flange 22a. inholding the iceblocksvagainst transverse movement in thebunker, butlserve l to space the ice blockslllfrom the sidewalls 2;l.-.and also from tha-baflle. plates 2&2;

:this bunker half extend, and

sponding opening 36, whence it enters one end of the bunker In its passage along the bunker the air is caused to travel over, between, and

around the ends of the ice blocks, and thus it becomes thoroughly chilled. During its travel along the first half of the bunker the air is not permitted to pass out of the bunker because of the direction in which the baffle plates29 along thus the air is fully subjected to the temperature-reducing action of the ice. Upon reaching the other half of the bunker the now chilled airis divided into a multiplicity of currents which pass outwardly through those louvers that have the baiiie plates 29 extending in the direction of the air flow, and then into the top of the lading compartment C.

Upon entering the top of the lading compartment the air currents, because of their low temperatures, circulate downwardly around the lading to maintain it at a nonperishable temperature, and in so doing force the Warm air at the bottom of the compartment upwardly and outwardly thereof into the bunker K through those louvers at the left half of the bunker, it being understood that the exhaust of warm air from the compartment is accelerated by the inductive action of the air flowing across the openings 28 of those louvers in the first half of the bunker.

Thus by virtue of a car constructed in accord-,

ance with my invention there is produced, when the car is in motion, convection circulation of air currents therein to obtain a relatively uniform and desired low temperature throughout the entire lading compartment to effectively preserve the perishable goods in the compartment against spoiling.

As will be understood, the trailing end of the bunker must of necessity have an air outlet in order that the desired air flow will be produced in the bunker when the car is in motion; When the car is moving to the left as when viewed in Fig. 1, that air not directed into the lading compartment by the louvers, can exhaust to atmosphere through the openings 36 and 3| at the trailing end of the bunker. Manifestly, the amount of air so exhausted is relatively small, and thus the refrigerating loss is correspondingly small.

As the two ends of the car are identical in construction, the cooling system provided by my invention is operable in the manner above described regardless of the direction of motion of the car, air entering at one opening 3| or the other depending upon the direction of car movement. Further, because the ice bunker is situated at the top of the lading compartment and accupies a minimum of space therein, the lading capacity is greatly increased over refrigerator cars having end bunkers.

It will be noted that the spacing members 22 and 22a are of such height that as the ice blocks l9 melt to substantially one half of their original height new ice blocks can be supplied to the bunker and superimposed onv the half melted and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

' l claim:

1 In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for block ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to the ends of said bunker and through which block ice can be loaded into the bunker; said hatches having bottom walls inclined downwardly to the ends of said bunker down which block ice can be slid to the bunker.

2. In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for block ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to the ends of said bunker and through which block ice can be loaded into the bunker; said bunker having in its ends openings for circulating air lengthwise therealong under traveling movement of the car in either direction; and means for directing the air so circulated from the bunker into the lading compartment of said body.

3. In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for block ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to the ends of said bunker and through which block ice can be loaded into the bunker; said bunker having in its ends openings for circulating air lengthwise therealong under traveling movement of the car in either direction; and louvers in said bunkers for directing the air so circulated outwardly of the bunker into the car body.

4. In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for block ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to the ends of said bunker and through which block ice can be loaded into the bunker; said bunker having a bottom wall and side walls extending upwardly to said roof; said bunker at its ends open to atmosphere so that under traveling movement of the car in either direction air will be caused to circulate lengthwise of the bunker; and louvers in said side walls for directing air from said bunker into the car, body.

5. In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for block ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to theends of said bunker and through which block ice can be loaded into the bunker; said bunker having a bottom wall and side walls extending upwardly to said roof; said bunker at its ends open to atmosphere so that under traveling movement of the car in either direction air will be caused to circulate lengthwise of the bunker; and two sets of louvers in each of said walls, the louvers of one set reversely disposed with respect to those of the other set to direct air from said bunker into the car body according as the car body moves in one direction or the other.

6. In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for block ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to the ends of said bunker and through which block ice can be loaded into the bunker; said bunker having in its ends openings for circulating air lengthwise therealong under traveling movement of the car in either direction; means for directing the air so circulated from the bunker into the lading compartment of said body; and means for utilizing the air circulated lengthwise of said bunker for inducing air flow out of the lading compartment.

'7. In a refrigerator car having a body: a bunker for ice beneath and extending lengthwise of the roof of said body, with openings at the ends thereof; hatches in said roof at the ends thereof leading to the ends of said bunker, said hatches having bottom walls inclined downwardly to the ends of said bunker, and formed with openings providing passages leading to the openings in said bunker ends; and doors for closing said hatches.

8. In a refrigerator car as embodied in claim 7, wherein said doors have members on their undersides which in the closed position of said doors block air flow upwardly to the latter and direct it into said wall openings.

JAMES F. MULL.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 174,83? Nafls Mar. 14, 1876 199,019 Birdsall Jan. 8, 1878 339,184 Hutchins Apr. 6, 1886 2,332,034 West Oct. 19, 1943 

